Democrat Mamdani in historic win in New York

Democrats celebrated yesterday and Republicans reacted with fury as the 34-year-old leftwinger Zohran Mamdani vowed to implement what he called New York's most ambitious policy platform in a generation when he becomes the city's next mayor.

- Anna Betts New York Joseph Gedeon and Robert Tait Washington

Mamdani led a wave of significant wins for the Democrats in races around the country on their most successful night since Donald Trump regained office in January, in what was seen as a direct public rebuke to the divisive Republican president.

“The future looks a little bit brighter,” said the former president Barack Obama about the Democratic victories. “It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win,” he posted on X.

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalised American citizen after graduating from college, will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of south Asian heritage, the first born in Africa, and the youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on 1 January.

A self-proclaimed democratic socialist, he campaigned on an unapologetically progressive platform including a rent freeze for rent-stabilised apartments, free bus service, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores, all funded by increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

When he launched his campaign for mayor last year, he was a relatively unknown state legislator. But his message, focused on affordability, along with his buoyant jaunts throughout New York City, quickly gained traction and resonated with thousands of New Yorkers.

Fuelled by small donations, tens of thousands of volunteers, a savvy social media presence and a message of change, Mamdani's grassroots campaign built momentum in spring.

That culminated in a decisive win in the June Democratic primary, in which he beat the former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 13 points, stunning the city's political establishment by galvanising a diverse coalition that included many young and first-time voters.